NY foots the bill to reopen Statue of Liberty

Lady Liberty is back in business!

The Statue of Liberty reopened on Sunday after the state agreed to eat the cost of running the statue during the government shutdown much to the delight of tourists, who said the Big Apple isnt the same without a trip to the iconic landmark.

Excited tourists cheered the reopening after a 10-day-long closure in Battery Park as they awaited boats to take them across New York Harbor.

Its so patriotic and it opened the day we got here, so yay! said Heidi Jonsson, 40, who was visiting from Georgia.

Another visitor, Joleen Gorgen, 64, of Iowa described hearing news the statue would reopen while riding on a tour bus.

We were on the bus and everybody just whooped and hollered. That was the big thing, Gorgen said.

Were so appreciative to the state of New York I think weve stopped everybody on the island to thank them for doing this, she said.

Gov. Cuomo was on hand and said its crucial for New Yorks economy to have Lady Liberty up and running.

The economic damage done by closing the Statue of Liberty is profound you have thousands of vendors who rely on it, Coumo said.

You have to remember the Statue of Liberty is one of the main tourist destinations [it's] a very big draw, he said.

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NY foots the bill to reopen Statue of Liberty